Inkspell
by TheHipster
Summary: Two years after Capricorn is swallowed up by his own creation, Farid shows up at Meggie's door with bad news about Basta, Cockerell, and Flatnose. Is Basta the new Capricorn? Will Meggie and Farid open themselves to each other? on hiatus.
1. Chapter 1

**Author: **Okay, so I've always liked Cornelia Funke's writing, and I particularly liked Inkheart. I've never read Inkspell yet, (getting there) so this is how I would write it.

**Inkspell**

With Resa, Meggie, and Mo all reunited once again, Meggie thought it felt sort of odd. She never really missed her mother, since she never really had one. Sometimes when Resa hugged Meggie with her father looking on lovingly, Meggie felt like she would burst with all the love. It felt good, too though.

It had been several years since Capricorn and his men were swallowed up by the shadow. Dustfinger had disappeared long ago, and Farid along with him. Meggie missed Farid and his chocolate brown skin, and to her shame, she missed Dustfinger as well. She wanted to remember him that night that he performed for her and Eleanor, with the firelight casting orange shadows on his scarred face.

Eleanor. She had moved long ago, and started up her book collection again. Evidently she didn't want Basta, Flatnose, or Cockerell paying her a surprise visit again. It had wrenched Eleanor's heart out to find only ashes that used to be her, beautiful, priceless books. Meggie didn't _ever_ want to feel like that. Ever.

Those days were just a wrinkle on Mo's forehead. He never spoke of them again, but Meggie would occasionally ask a question, to either him or her mother. Resa was making out very well. Meggie had found some sign language books at the library, and taught the family how to communicate without speaking. Her mother preferred writing to them, since she could still hear them talking to her. Meggie had caught on very well to calling her mother Resa, while Mo still liked Teresa. Either he was coping very well with what had happened, or he had forgotten it completely, and Meggie decided that it wasn't the latter.

Meggie was now fourteen, officially a teenager, as Mo had joked with her. Her hair had lightened a bit, and was now closer to the golden blonde colour that Resa's hair was. She had begun growing the curves of a woman, and was a few inches taller. The angles of her face were now sharper; her babyish cheeks had disappeared to reveal high cheekbones. Mo had grown fond of telling Meggie that she looked remarkably like her mother, and nothing like him.

The worry about _Inkheart_ that Meggie had long ago about the book disappearing had long dissolved. Basta wouldn't show up at her door again, Flatnose wouldn't kidnap Mo, and Cockerell wouldn't lock Resa up again. She had been worried for the longest time about it, having horrible dreams about it. But then the fear just… evaporated. And she was glad for it. For two years, Meggie never thought about Basta or Capricorn again.

And then one night, all the memories were stirred up again.

One night, Resa, Mo, and Meggie were playing a game of Monopoly. The power had gone out about a half hour ago, and Mo suggested playing a game. Candles lined the windowsills, lighting up the living room. Rain was pounding the windows, and Meggie almost believed that the glass would come loose of the frame. A soft knocking could barely be heard above the rain.

"I'll get it!" Meggie hopped up out of her seat and answered the door.

A, drippy-haired, Farid was standing in the doorway. "Farid!" Meggie cried as she flung herself on him, giving him a bear hug.

"Hello, Meggie," Farid said quietly into her ear, hugging halfheartedly back. He was much taller than Meggie remembered, and his voice had deepened slightly, but you could tell he was still a boy.

"Farid?" Mo and Resa got up from the coffee table, Resa smiling brightly. Meggie let go of Farid so Resa could hug him and give him a peck on the cheek.

"How are you?" Mo asked. "Come in out of the rain, it's freezing out," he invited Farid as Meggie ushered him in and shut the door.

"Well," Farid ran his hand through his shaggy, dripping hair, sending droplets flying. "I was just fine up until a few days ago."

Mo cocked his head. "What do you mean?"

"It's a long story."

"We're not going anywhere in this storm," Mo said. "Teresa, will you go make some coffee? And Meggie, go get some towels for him."

Meggie almost rolled her eyes, but saved it. Mo was obviously getting rid of her mother and herself so he could talk to Farid about _Inkheart_. She walked off to the bathroom to find Farid the spongiest towels they could provide.

When Meggie returned to the living room with the towels, she stayed hidden in the hallway, but close enough so she could hear their conversation.

"…taken some people hostage. Basta managed to get some other boys to join them. The new recruits were mostly runaways drawn in by rumors. You know, the drama and such."

Mo didn't say anything. Meggie strained her ears. "How did you come to hear this?" He whispered.

It sounded as though Farid was shuffling his feet. So he finally got used to shoes, Meggie thought with a grin.

"I heard about some women who mysteriously went missing in this seaside hamlet, so I investigated. Turns out that their new base is another abandoned village, deeper in the woods. I don't think it has electricity."

Mo must have nodded. "How many people did they take hostage?"

"Hmm, maybe, twenty?" Farid guessed. "But here's the worse news. They have Eleanor."

"What!?" The word leaped out of her mouth without her consent. She had grown to appreciate Eleanor during the two and a bit years that she'd known her.

"Meggie!" Mo sounded angry. He turned the corner to where she had been hiding quietly. "What have I told you about eavesdropping!"

"I couldn't help it, Mo!"

"It's fine, Silvertongue," Farid said reasonably, putting a hand on Mo's shoulder. "She would have found out sooner or later."

Mo's nostrils flared once, and the blood that has risen up to his face in anger returned to his pale skin colour. "You still shouldn't eavesdrop, Meggie."

"What are we going to do about Eleanor?" Meggie asked quietly.

Mo sighed heavily, and flumped down onto the couch behind him. "I don't know."

Meggie looked at the still-dripping Farid. "Oh! I completely forgot about the towels!" She took one in her hands, and wrapped them around his shoulders. "Sorry," She whispered, flushing slightly in the candlelight.

"No problem," Farid whispered back.

Mo didn't seem to notice this interaction. "Um," He ran his fingers through his sandy blonde hair. "You want a bowl of soup, or something?"

Farid nodded, and took a seat on the loveseat opposite Mo. "Thanks."

Mo hopped up, but as he did so, Resa entered the room carrying a tray with a steaming bowl of soup and a mug of coffee.

"Thank you," Farid smiled at Resa as she set the tray down in front of him.

"We have a lot of catching up to do." Said Mo, and he, Meggie and Resa began telling their visitor about the years they missed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author**: I love feedback. –wink wink– Thank you to _WeaponsMistress_ for the feedback!

_Disclaimer: I probably wouldn't be writing this on this website if I owned it. Cornelia Funke is just so great that she owns it all._

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**Inkspell**

_Chapter Two_

_"We have a lot of catching up to do." Said Mo, and he, Meggie and Resa began telling their visitor about the years they missed._

The four talked long into the night. Mo did most of the talking, while Meggie and Resa interrupted every now and then to correct him. They told Farid about Meggie being home schooled, about Resa learning sign language, about Mo being selected to work on a celebrity's book collection, and Farid listened intently, nodding every now and then.

Meggie was surprised to hear that Farid hadn't spent the last 2 years with Dustfinger. He'd gone wandering about by himself, traveling between towns and villages with his show. He managed to get Dustfinger to show him how to properly manipulate and befriend the fire. Meggie couldn't help but notice some ugly and painful-looking scars on his forearms and hands, which were most likely inflicted by fire. He'd gotten in trouble with the law once, because he had gotten in a fight with a spectator over some money, and spent two nights in the town jail. He'd met many people, and learned to fish. He also learned how to swim. He hadn't yet had a chance to try driving though, and he expressed that that was one of his goals during his time in this world.

"What do you mean?" Meggie perked up when the said that. "'Your time during this world'? Are you going to try and get back into your story?" The thought of it made her throat hurt, but she ignored the feeling.

Farid hesitated. "Sometimes I long for my home, but I don't plan on going back. And everyone has to die at some point." Meggie hated his logic.

"Enough of this depressing talk," Mo interrupted. "It's getting late. I'm sorry, Farid, but we don't have another room for you. Is it alright if he sleeps in your room, Meggie?"

Meggie nodded. "He can sleep in my bed."

"Oh, thank you, Silvertongue, but I can sleep outside-"

"No. You're not bedding yourself out in the cold."

"Yes, Farid, it's quite alright."

He nodded, and stood up with his empty soup bowl and mug. "I'll wash dishes, then."

Resa shook her head, and took the tray from him, and pointed to herself. She smiled brightly at him and Meggie and shooed them upstairs.

"Goodnight, Mo, goodnight Resa," Meggie hugged them both and showed Farid upstairs.

The moon had poked out of the rain clouds, and it had stopped raining, giving off a strong smell of the earth. The silver light shone through Meggie's window and into the hallway. "This is my room," She showed Farid into a small room, occupied by a small dresser, and many bookshelves. She felt kind of self conscious, showing him right into her Neverland, her paradise in which she could escape to any world she wanted.

"It's cozy," Farid remarked. The window took up most of the south wall, and through it could be seen the bright, full moon, and a barrier of trees between the house and the ocean. He doubted that he would fit in the bed, since it was only long enough for Meggie.

"I can sleep on the floor," He suggested again.

"Well," Meggie thought about it. "Yes, I suppose you won't fit in the bed. Righto, lets go get the mattress for you, then."

Once Farid had settled down on the mattress, his large backpack at his feet, he and Meggie were too awake to even think about sleeping. Farid liked how the moonlight cast black shadows on her more adult face, and made her blue eyes seem even bluer.

"What do you want out of life, Farid?" Meggie asked after what seemed to be ages of silence between them.

Farid thought for a little while. "I'm not sure. I guess I just want to enjoy it, and learn things."

"What kind of things?"

Farid loved the way Meggie spoke. She annunciated every syllable, letting the 's' slip off her tongue the way Mo did, slightly hissing. He loved the way her lips formed the 'o's, and the glimpse he got of her tongue to make the 'th' sound. "Anything."

Meggie didn't know how long they talked. The night was slowly dissolving into dusk when Farid fell asleep. She had fallen asleep long before he did, and he enjoyed the excuse that he couldn't sleep just to take in her features. It felt so good to him to feel safe, to feel like he belonged here. He thought about this for a long time, until the unavoidable sleep tugged on his eyelids, and could think no more.

When Meggie awoke, the smell of tomato soup filled her nostrils, and the warm spring sun was pouring in through her window. The sky was already blue with the midday clouds. She showered and got dressed, noting that Farid was already up and had put the makeshift bed away.

Yawning her way down the stairs, Meggie found that it was not Mo or Resa making the soup, but Farid. It came as a surprise to her that he could cook, but she didn't know why. She ran her fingers through her thick hair to make sure she didn't have bedhead.

"Afternoon, sunshine," Mo said cheerfully. "You missed breakfast." She hugged him good-morning, as well as Resa.

Good afternoon, Meggie, Resa said to her in sign language.

Afternoon, mum. "Morning, Farid."

Farid nodded and gave her a small smile as he poured the delicious smelling soup into bowls for the four of them. Resa pulled a tray out of the oven, revealing chunky cheese biscuits to go with the soup. Meggie set the table, and they all sat down to lunch.

"This is really good, Farid," Meggie said, dunking her biscuit into her soup.

"Thank you," He said modestly. Then turning to Mo, he asked: "When are we going to rescue Elinor?"

Mo didn't say anything for a long time. Meggie had almost finished her soup by the time he answered. "Well," he muttered, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "First I think you ought to show us Basta's new hideout. Then we can figure out what to do from there."

"I want to come!" Meggie exclaimed. She so wanted Basta completely out of her life, out of her world, even.

"No." Mo said firmly. "You're to stay here with your mother. I don't want to risk us getting caught, never mind either of you being captured."

"Do you honestly think that Basta will recognize us after this long?" Meggie said indignantly. She had a point. Meggie still looked uncannily like her mother, but her features had changed, she was getting her adult face. Her body had changed shape as well, her legs lengthened, her hips widened and she now sported a B-cup.

"Yes, I do, Meggie," Mo was standing up now. "I won't have either of you taken away from me again, ever! Do you know what I went through?"

"I bet I don't care! I thought you were dead for most of the time I was in Capricorns house! I never even really thought I had a mother! I had to deal with the fact I thought you were dead, and still keep my head up! I bet you never had that feeling, Mo!" Meggie was fuming now. She'd never fought with Mo about this until now, and she had a lot of pent-up feeling inside her. She said those last words with a knot in her throat, making her voice waver. Feeling the tears well up in her eyes, she left the table, her face hot with shame at crying in front of Farid and her mother. She didn't even look at them as she dashed out the back door into the wilderness.

"Meggie!" Some one called after her from the house, but she ignored their calls.

The slope was slippery and slightly wet from the heavy rain the previous night, and had almost washed away the gravel path that she and Mo had laid down some years ago. Meggie let out a small cry as she slid down the path into the trees she had long admired from her window.

Memories came flooding back from her past, first it was Mo and her playing football down the path when she was four, next it was her and Mo jogging along the path when she was two – with her mother. Why hadn't she remembered this before? The tears flowed freely now.

The trees cleared to reveal the rocky shore of the ocean. Meggie could feel the salty spray on the wind embrace her. She carried on along the shore, until she was so wrought with emotion that she couldn't walk anymore, and sat a little too hard down on a warm rock, letting the spray mingle with her tears.

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**Author:** I hope you liked it! I'll get more action in the next chapter, I promise. 


	3. Chapter 3

Author: I just got Inkspell for my birthday (March 20th) and I hope to incorporate details from it into my story

**Author: **I've finally read the actual Inkspell, but have decided to continue with my own story. I'm sorry this took so long. If I owned these characters, I wouldn't let the director cast Brendan Fraser as Mo! O

**Inkspell **

_Chapter Three_

_The trees cleared to reveal the rocky shore of the ocean. Meggie could feel the salty spray on the wind embrace her. She carried on along the shore, until she was so wrought with emotion that she couldn't walk anymore, and sat a little too hard down on a warm rock, letting the spray mingle with her tears._

So tired from crying, Meggie let her ragged breathing slow down. Her cheeks were stiff and stained from her tears, which was rather uncomfortable. _Why did I snap at Mo like that? _She thought, feeling ashamed. _He just wants to protect me_, she assured herself. _But then again, I'm fifteen, and I ought to be able to take care of myself. I_ know _I can._

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't register Resa stepping gingerly on the rocks of the shore, heading in her direction. When she slipped a hand onto Meggie's shoulder, her daughter jumped. "Resa, you scared me!"

_I apologize_, Resa said with her hands, taking a seat on the rock beside Meggie. _I was worried about you. Your father only wants to protect you and I. He doesn't mean any harm; you ought to know that._

"I know, I know," Meggie said impatiently. "But I just – I'm tired of living a sheltered life."

Resa nodded knowingly. They sat in silence for a long time, Meggie with her head on Resa's shoulder and her mother's arms around her. Meggie was so tired from crying that she fell asleep for a little while. Resa must have fallen asleep at some point as well, because Meggie slept for a long time.

During her slumber, Meggie was awakened by a cold touch of something smooth, and thin. With a sudden fear of what the object was, she sat bolt upright, and found herself face to face with none other than Basta.

"Glad you could join us, Princess," Basta sneered, sliding the knife on its flat side across Meggie's throat. She swallowed nervously.

"What do you want?" She choked out. Flatnose was with him, and had Resa tied up and gagged – which seemed useless to Meggie, but it was probably for their own sick enjoyment. Cockerell stood by, grinning evilly at Meggie; he was stroking the barrel of a presumably loaded shotgun.

"Ah," Basta was within inches of her face, and she could feel his hot, minty breath on her face. She wanted to vomit – the smell of mint now made her gag. "Well, my dear, I'm sure you'll find out." He removed the knife and replaced it with his calloused hand. He violently grabbed her chin, and began to examine her face. "Pretty like her mother, maybe even more so," He smirked and shoved Meggie.

Meggie wanted to kick him, slap him, anything, but her hands met resistance. Her face was hot with anger when she realized they tied her up while she had been sleeping.

"Your father and the boy left an hour ago to attempt to find my-" He chuckled. "-Resort. There's no point in trying to escape." Basta twirled the switchblade in his hands menacingly.

_Cowards_, Meggie thought viciously. She looked at Basta; he was obviously thriving with his new reign. He wore a white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and freshly pressed black pants with a strip of satin down the outside of the leg. Meggie also noticed that he had a new knife; it was a switchblade. The illegal ivory handle was as long as the blade, which was close to seven inches. It frightened Meggie more than Cockerell's shotgun.

"Let's go," Basta ordered Flatnose and Cockerell.

Cockerell took hold of the rope tying Meggie's hands together and began to pull her. Meggie stuck her heels on the edge of a rock, while pulling back on the ropes. Flatnose rolled his eyes at Cockerell, and tossed Resa over his shoulder.

Cockerell gave in and picked Meggie up in the same way, and followed Basta down the coastline to their expensive car, Meggie kicking and screaming the entire way.

"Farid, we've been driving for hours," Mo complained. He was at the wheel of his small Suzuki Tracker, Farid sitting beside him in the passenger seat. "Where is it?"

"Just around this peninsula," Farid said, pointing to a piece of land reaching out to sea.

"You're absolutely sure?"

Farid nodded. They drove on in silence for a little while. "Do you think it was really a good idea to leave Meggie and Resa at your home? Since Basta is out and about again?" Farid's brow was furrowed in worry.

Mo didn't say anything.

"You can't keep her away forever," Farid said quietly.

"You don't know what it's like to lose someone you love for a reason directly connected to your actions!" Mo shouted. Silent tears gently rolled down Mo's pale cheeks.

Farid didn't reply; he _did_ know what it was like. It pained him immensely to think of it.

The soon reached the end of the peninsula, and turned down the other side. They were greeted by an abandoned amusement park surrounded by a beach.

"_That's_ it?" Mo was incredulous.

"Yes," Farid confirmed. "But we should leave the vehicle here, Silvertongue. It is likely that Basta is more cautious with his hideout than Capricorn was."

Mo drove the car onto the shoulder of the highway, and put his emergency flashers on. Farid questioned this, and to his question Mo answered; "Well it lets other drivers know that the car is stopped, even if it's only on the shoulder."

Farid tucked this bit of information into the back of his mind, hoping he would be able to put it to use later.

They approached the amusement park with extreme caution. Farid had only known the location of the hideout, not the severity of it's security. Barbed wire topped chain-link fences outlined the perimeter. A gate was the only entry into the once-recreational, now useless lot.

"How are we going to get in, Silvertongue?" Farid asked.

"Why would we want to go in? We're just checking it out now, okay?"

Farid nodded. He had hoped they could go in and find Basta and kill him. Farid had killed once before; in his home book. It was a blood-chilling experience; he had only been hired to do it so he could feed himself and his family. He hoped that if he destroyed Basta, he would never have to undergo the horrible feeling again.

Two of Basta's goons removed Meggie and her mother from the black Mercedes – Flatnose and Cockerell were no longer Basta's only henchmen, they were now his right hand men. Before they had gotten far in the car, the goons had thrown burlap sacks over the mother and daughter's heads, so they wouldn't know how to return to the location if turned loose. Now they removed the sacks. Meggie's eyes suddenly hurt from the transition of a dark burlap sack to the brightness of the Italian sun.

It both surprised and secretly delighted Meggie that Basta had made his headquarters in an abandoned fun park. It surprised her because she didn't think Basta had a sense of humor, or a sense of fun short of slitting throats. It delighted her because she'd never been to one before. She had read books set in amusement parks, and the idea of going to one was exciting. Granted, this particular one was shut down, but it still poked Meggie's excited button. The painted rides had dulled to a fraction of the brightness they had been, but Meggie could still see the enchantment the fair rides held. She greedily took in the sights and stored them away in her memory; she didn't know when she would again see another.

"Take them to the holding quarters," Basta told the two goons.

A lightbulb went off in Meggie's head. "Hey," She exclaimed with vigor. "I know where this is!"

Resa studied her daughters face, trying to figure out what she was doing. It then dawned on her, and she began nodding furiously.

"This is that old amusement park that-"

"Shut up!" Basta hissed at her. His face was turning an ugly shade of angry. "Take her! NOW!" He yelled at his goons.

It gave Meggie such a gratified satisfaction that she could push Basta's buttons so easily. He obviously hadn't learned much in the years that he'd been hiding. She grinned inwardly to herself, even as a large man with lots of facial hair roughly grabbed her by the arm and dragged her away from the seething Basta.

Resa winked at Meggie as they were taken away, and Meggie grinned back. They were both taken into a large, drearily purple building. Meggie was thrown forcibly into the funhouse, her mother in hot pursuit. The door was slammed behind them, and Meggie could hear the guards instantly strike up a conversation about baseball.

"Are you alright?" Meggie asked her mother. Resa nodded, since her hands were tied up.

Meggie looked around. Tall, rippled mirrors that warped her appearance surrounded them. She giggled quietly at her reflection.

"Mother, what could Basta possibly-" She stopped. "I forgot. Hold on, and I'll see if I can find something to cut our ropes with."

"Hide, Mo!" Farid whispered loudly to his counterpart. A black vehicle with tinted windows was coming down the highway towards them.

The two practically fell down the rocks leading to the beach, and took cover behind a large – and rather out of place – boulder. They watched the car pull up to the gate, and be admitted by a tall, bulky man dressed in black. The gate closed behind the car with a loud and final-sounding clang.

"I've got a bad feeling about this…" Mo muttered worriedly.


End file.
